1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tool for expediting the manual removal of closures which are threadably secured to the necks of containers and require a substantial torque to be applied thereto to effect their removal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are literally hundreds of patents relating to manual tools for facilitating the removal of closures from containers. The difficulty of manual removal of such screw type closures, particularly for bottles containing beer and soft drinks, has not dimmed the enthusiasm of the packers for the use of such closures.
Two common types of closures are in wide spread current use. The first is the so-called "twist crown" which is employed primariliy in the packaging of beer and embodies a conventional crown exterior configuration, but the internal plastic liner of the crown is deformed to snugly engage external threads provided on the extreme rim portion of the bottle neck. Needless to say, the closure must be tightly applied, because it has to withstand internal pressure generated by its carbonated contents, particularly when exposed to elevated temperatures, as well as the rough handling inherently involved in the transport of the filled container from the brewer to the ultimate consumer.
The second common type of closure is that which is commonly known as the "twist open" aluminum cap. Such cap is fabricated by placing an aluminum cap shell around the top threaded neck portion of a bottle and then rolling threads into the aluminum shell to effect the securement of the cap to the bottle neck. Additionally, it is common to roll a bottom band portion of the cap beneath a retaining shoulder provided on the bottle neck, and to connect such band portion to the remainder of the aluminum cap shell by a series of frangible bridges which are severed upon the initial application of opening torque to the cap. An alternate procedure for providing the pilfer proof feature is to provide axial scores in the pilfer proof band portion which are severed when torque is initially applied to the aluminum cap, permitting the band portion to expand and move upwardly over the retaining shoulder on the bottle.
With all of these commonly used closures, it is still a matter of considerable difficulty, particularly for the elderly and children, to manually remove the closure from the bottle. There is, therefore, a need for an economical, reliable opening tool for removing threaded type closures from bottles. Such tools appear in abundance in the prior art but have heretofore involved complicated and relatively expensive constructions.